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Abstract

We report optofluidic waveguides made by filling microchannels in aerogel with water. The aerogel cladding is a nanoporous material with an extremely low refractive index of similar to 1.05, giving a large index step from the water core. Channels were formed by removing embedded optical fibers, which could be nonuniform or multiple. The porosity of the aerogel allowed air to be displaced from the channel, preventing the trapping of bubbles. The attenuation of red light in the highly multimode water core waveguide was no greater than 1.5 dB/cm.

Birks_Optics_Letters_2011_36_16_3275.pdf: This paper was published in [Journal Name] and is made available as an electronic reprint with the permission of OSA. The paper can be found at the following URL on the OSA website: http://dx.doi.org/10.1364/OL.36.003275 . Systematic or multiple reproduction or distribution to multiple locations via electronic or other means is prohibited and is subject to penalties under law.